[V8] Re: cold weather killing gas mileage (AHA!!!)

[dsaad at icehouse.net]

In this case, you need to block off part of the radiator core with something - I
use cardboard. How much you block off depends on how cold it is, and how hard
you will be driving. At temps well below freezing, the radiator gets to be way
to efficient - it is designed to keep the motor within temp on a +100F day so it
is over capacity most of the time, and way over capacity in the cold winter
months. Even with a properly functioning t-stat, if it is 10F degrees outside
and you are just putting around town, the t-stat will probably be closed most of
the time, but when it opens up the motor will get a dose of 10F degree water.
The t-stat is a slow moving device so it does not just snap off.

Long story short is that you want to make it possible for the motor to maintain
the radiator temp near 97C for maximum MPG. The easiest way to do that is to
block off some of the radiator to reduce its efficiency. It takes energy (gas)
to heat up the radiator. It is a backwards way of looking at the cooling system
but that is how the system works from the motors point of view.

Dave



Quoting Ed Kellock <ekellock at gmail.com>:


Quoting Ed Kellock <ekellock at gmail.com>:

> I too run below optimal in the winter unless there's a good long
> warmup and then as soon as I start pushing a lot of air through the
> nose, it cools off again.
> I installed my thermostat and am 99% positive that I put it in
> correctly in regard to flow and with the little valve at the top.
>
> Ed
>
> On 5/2/05, Ingo Rautenberg <i.rautenberg at waratap.com> wrote:
> > You guys have me thinking.  This morning I watched my temp gauge and at
> 42°F
> > it took (mixed city/hwy) over 20 minutes to get to operating temp.  Over
> > twice as long as I would think.  And thermostat  was replaced less than
> 20k
> > ago...
> >
> > Ingo
> >
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